Life in the City
by PokeMaster64
Summary: Diego and Chase, two kids that ran away from home, have been living in Neo City for a majority of their life. They have been living a great life on their own, despite their reputation. But, when these two fall for two new girls, they will have to change their ways from city nuisances to helpful citizens.
1. Harsh Beginnings

"You no good brat!"

The door to a bedroom swung open quickly and a figure was thrown into a wall, sliding down onto the bed. The figure was a small Charmander and he seemed to be covered in bruises. Even though he was thrown into the wall, he glared at his abuser.

A large Charizard walked into the room and scowled at him. "Of all of your mischievous antics, you just had to ruin my meeting?! You just ruined my billion dollar proposition!"

The Charmander shrugged while glaring still. "It was a worthless idea. And why would you of all people need a billion dollars? You are already a multibillionaire jerk."

The Charizard growled and slapped the kid across the face. "You may be five, but you are so going to get a beating tonight." He thought of something and immediately resented the idea. "I can't. With those executives staying at the house, I can't have them seeing me beat on a kid."

Charmander stopped listening and remember how he ended up in this situation.

_FLASHBACK_

_The Charmander crawled under a large table. He had a messenger bag on him, filled with some mysterious items. Alongside him was a three year old Pichu, who looked like he was nervous. "Diego, are you sure this is a good idea? Our dads are already mad at us."_

_Diego turned towards the Pichu. "Relax, Chase. We'll be fine." He opened up the bag and pulled out explosive charges that looked like clumps of whip cream with wires and a kitchen timer._

"_How did you make that?" Chase asked curiously._

_Diego stared at the charges. "I was accidentally messing with whip cream and reactive material…long story short, I was grounded and we were missing half a bathroom." He planted the charges on the bottom of the table and set the timer to five minutes._

"_Why are you even doing this?" Chase asked, keeping watch for their dads. Both their fathers were big time business executives and decided to run a successful partnership. Diego and Chase became fast friends when they learned they had one thing in common: they hated their fathers. So naturally, they pull off convoluted pranks to ease their frustration. But what Diego had in mind was going overboard._

_Diego scowled. "My dad is being a pain in the side. 'Do this, do that'. 'Worthless twerp'. 'You'll never get anywhere in life. I'm a multibillionaire' blah blah blah. And let's not forget that your dad has been threatening you to finish with chores or stand in the corner for no reason. Well, let's see how they like it when their little meeting goes haywire." They got up from under the table and ran out of the room, just before the board of executives entered the room._

_FLASHBACK END_

Diego immediately snapped out of his daze when a hand clutched his neck and brought him to eye level with the Charizard. "Pay attention when talked to, you twerp." Diego's response was spit to the face. This just infuriated him more. "You need to learn some manners."

"You weren't exactly good at teaching them." Diego retorted. "But maybe, if I had a mother, I would have behaved myself."

Charizard glared deeper and decided to change the subject. "Where is Chase?" Diego didn't respond. "Answer me, NOW!" He punched him onto the bed. Diego got up and kept silent. Charizard was about to rip his head off when a Raichu walked in.

"Don't bother, he's right here." With a flick of his tail, he threw the Pichu roughly near Diego. "Found the little baby cowering in the pantry."

Chase started whimpering. "Don't beat us up again. I don't like it."

Raichu grumbled. "Fortunately for you two, we can't. Those executives will be staying at our house for the night." He then smirked. "But tomorrow, once they leave, you two will be severely punished."

Chase began to cry while Diego comforted him, glaring at the abusive fathers. "Don't worry Chase, it's not like they are threatening. They just have unstable emotional balance."

"What did you say?!" Charizard lunged at his son, but was held back by Raichu.

"Charizard, calm down!" He yelled. "If the executives see what we're doing, we're ruined."

Charizard nodded hesitantly and moved back. "Fine, but you two are grounded."

Diego gasped mockingly. "Oh no, but I thought we were already grounded." He spat on the ground. "That really the best you got?" He asked sardonically.

Raichu glared down on the kid. "Just for that, you both aren't getting dinner tonight…again."

Chase sobbed louder. "But I'm hungry!" He whined.

Raichu put on a calm, soothing face. "Hey buddy. You want to know something?" He nodded and leaned in. When Raichu was up to his ear, he yelled, "I DON'T CARE!" Chase yelped and held his ear.

Raichu laughed, but yelped when an air horn sounded in his ear. He held it in pain while glaring at the smug Charmander. Charizard swiped the air horn away from him. "Two days. No food at all." The adults walked out of the room and slammed the door shut.

"What are we going to do about those brats?" Raichu said, massaging his ear. "We can't just send them to an orphanage; that would raise questions. Besides, they never learn their lessons no matter how many times we punish them."

"I have an idea." Charizard said with a wicked look. "Remember last week when you said that if they misbehave again, we would cut their tails off?"

Raichu nodded, then widened his eyes. "You're not serious, are you?"

"I'm dead serious. We'll take them to a nice quiet part of a forest. We'll hold them down, listening to their pleas of mercy. Then, with one swift chop of the ax, we cut their tails off. That will show them how serious we are about making them behave."

Raichu was horrified for a moment, but after thinking it over, he nodded his head in approval. "Yeah, and we could always say that they were in a construction accident if this reaches the media." With a quick fist bump, they walked downstairs to talk with the board.

XXX

Diego had the side of his head pressed up against the door when they spoke. Once he was sure they were gone, he kicked the wall in anger. "Rotten scumbags." He whispered to himself.

Chase clutched his stomach in agony. "I'm…so…hungry." He looked like he was on the verge of passing out. Diego looked at the three year old in pity. He went under his bed and pulled out a stash of canned beans. After warming them up with his tail flame, he gave them to Chase. "Thank…you." He shoveled it all down his mouth.

The Charmander smiled warmly, but frowned as he sat on the other bed in the room. He reached into the pillow case and pulled out canned ham. He opened it and gulped it all in one bite.

Once Chase was finished, he turned towards Diego. "Hey, is something wrong?"

He looked up at his friend and sighed. "I overheard what our dads were saying. They've decided to take us out tomorrow and slice our tails off."

Chase gasped. "They can't do that!"

"Shh!" Diego shushed quickly. He then whispered, "They'll just fine someway to make it seem like it was an accident."

"Well, you're smart. Can't you just figure a way out of this?" He pleaded. He didn't want his tail to be chopped off.

Diego sighed. "What's the point, anymore? They'll find some way to get us, just like always. We might as well our accept fate for once."

"Don't say that!" Chase yelled, but quickly covered his mouth. He whispered, "You never give up, not even when you're being beaten. You are the only thing I have left to real family."

Diego looked away sadly. Chase's mother died while pregnant with him. The doctors couldn't save her, but they managed to save him. Whenever Chase needed comfort, he was always there to cheer him up. He always supplied food for the both of them whenever they were banned from having dinner. He always made sure Chase was perfectly healthy when they were ever sent to the cold attic to sleep in as punishment. They were like brothers with each other.

"I understand what you mean, Chase. But we can't keep this up forever. Sooner or later, they were going to severely punish us. And right now, it's sooner." He got up and walked over to the closet. He started to rummage through it. "Life isn't like living in a big city, you know. There's always something holding you back from the things that you wish could happen."

"Like how you wish your dad would just die, but he is the only one who knows about your mommy." Chase brought up.

That sent a painful stab through Diego's heart. When he was born and growing up, he never met his mother. Thanks to his high intelligence, he was able to learn that she is still alive. But her location is unknown and only Charizard knew what happened to her. All he did know was that she left for some mysterious reason. He just puts up with his father so that, one day, he will find the information he needs to find his mother.

Chase quickly caught the message. "Um, forget I said anything."

He waved it off. "It's fine. It's just an uncomfortable subject for me, that's all." He pulled out random junk from the closet. "Where is it?" He mumbled to himself.

The Pichu looked over his shoulder. "Um, whatcha' doin'?"

Diego smiled when he found what he was looking for. A pamphlet about some city called Neo City. "I found this when I was younger. I've read about all the exciting things that go on in this city. Neat restaurants, great skate parks, and even some cool houses. I'm telling you, we would be living the life if we were here."

"I thought you said life wasn't like living in a big city?"

"That's only if it is unreachable to people. But not us, that's for sure." Diego started to grow a big, wicked smile. Chase knew that smile all too well. It's the one he makes when he starts formulating a plan. Chase would never say it out loud, but he sometimes questioned his friend's sanity.

He gulped in fear. "Diego, what are you thinking? I thought you said that you gave up."

He jumped onto the bed and nodded. "Yeah, I give up…on trying to get those sorry sacs we call 'fathers' to respect us more. They've bullied us for far too long at this point. Now they're going to the point of cutting off a limb. Well, I've had it. This will be my best plan yet." He started to laugh evilly.

"W-what e-ex-exactly is your plan?"

Diego grinned even wider. "We're going to run away from this sorry excuse of a family and go to Neo City!"

Chase's eyes widened in shock. "WHAT?!" He covered his mouth again, then whispered, "Dude, we live in the Johto region and Neo City is in the Silvac region. That's impossible."

His friend shook his head. "Actually, I've already thought up a fool proof plan."

"But, you said that you'll never rest until you find your mother and get the info out of your dad." Chase reminded nervously.

Diego rolled his eyes. "That old fool will never give me the chance to find out. I'll be able to think better without him breathing down my neck."

Chase darted his eyes everywhere. "Well, what about-" Diego jumped off the bed and shut his mouth.

"Dude, what's wrong? You're usually onboard with me." He said.

Chase sighed and removed the paw from his mouth. "I'm worried. If we get caught, our dads will probably do something much worse. Like kill us!" He shook like a leaf.

Diego clasped a paw on his shoulder. "I promise you, we won't get caught as long as we follow my plan. Besides, do you really want to stay here for the rest of your life, tailless, and be punished 24/7?" His response was a shake of the head. "So, are you willing to help me out with this in exchange for a better carefree life?"

Chase rubbed his arm and looked at the door. He could barely hear the playful banter emanating from downstairs. Masked under that banter were two cold-hearted souls who would rather make their children's lives a living nightmare. He looked back at his friend and nodded, with a determined glare. "What do we need?"

Diego smiled and brought out a note pad. "I need five hundred thousand dollars, valuables were taking, two regular suitcases, one suitcase big enough for the both of us to hide in while also covered in lead, food that we can carry in the cases, a harmless but explosive compound, and a rope."

Chase stared at him like he was insane. "Where am I going to get that much money?!"

"Duh, our dads' wallets." Diego said like it was obvious.

Chase tapped his chin and nodded. "Oh yeah, I forgot."

XXX

Diego was putting away all of the things they would need in the suitcases. All he put were some clothes, blankets, and a few toys. He was currently waiting for Chase to come back with the food and money. Diego already managed to get a large lead suitcase and rope. He walked up to the closet and pulled out a small jar containing a green goo.

He nearly dropped it when the door suddenly opened and closed. He turned and saw Chase, who had all of the stuff in two sacks and was panting. "Dude, what happened to you?"

Chase managed to catch his breath and say, "I was nearly caught downstairs by my dad. Luckily, a man got sick from some food and he had his attention diverted to him."

Diego nodded and took the sacks. "I'm just glad you didn't get caught." He put them away in the second suitcase. "You ready?"

Chase nodded. "You sure this will work?"

"I'm positive! Now help me tie this to the bed." They both started to tie the rope to the bed's leg and checked to make sure it was tight. "Okay, I'll go first. You throw down the cases." He climbed out the window and shimmied his way down the rope. Once his feet touched the ground, he whispered loudly, "Okay, now."

Chase, with some struggle due to his size, push the suitcases towards the window. He lifted one up and pushed it out. Diego stepped back and let it hit the ground. The dirt was really soft and managed to reduce the sound of the impact.

Once he was done, he said, "Okay, catch me." Chase jumped out the window and landed it Diego's awaiting arms. Once he set him down, he walked over to the rope. "What are you doing?"

Diego smirked. "They'll figure out were gone tomorrow anyway, so we might as well leave a gift." He blew a light Ember on it and it slowly caught fire. It then slowly travelled up the rope. "Let's get going, now." Fortunately, the cases had wheels, making their escape much quicker.

XXX

It took a half hour, but they managed to get to an airport. Diego said that their plane will leave soon, so they needed to act quickly. They snuck in and acted as if they were just looking for their parents, so they had to politely deny the help they were getting.

They made it to the conveyor belt to put their stuff on. "Okay, now what?"

Diego put the two bags on the belt. "Now we're going to get into this lead suitcase. The x-ray devices won't be able to see through it. Besides, I doubt anyone is going to suspect someone hiding in luggage."

"Okay, but someone will see us." Chase pointed out.

"What do you think this stuff is for?" He asked as he held up the small jar. He pulled out the goo and flung it to a wall, instantly sticky to it. He threw the jar into a recycling can. "We got 30 seconds before it goes off, get the case ready."

They propped up the opened case on the edge of the conveyor belt. After half a minute, a loud sound came from the direction of the goo. As expected from duo, everyone turned towards the direction of the sound. They quickly got into the suitcase and closed it up. They jostled it onto the conveyor belt and they began to move.

XXX

The airport crew finished loading the last of the luggage and closed up the plane. "Okay, that's the last of it. Start her up!" One of them shouted through the walkie-talkie.

They moved back from the plane. It slowly started to move down the runway. As it got closer to the end, the plane started to lift off the ground. It was fully in the air and taking off towards Neo City.

"This is your captain speaking, you are free to move about the cabin." A voice said through the intercom.

Inside the cargo hold, there were hundreds of bags scattered everywhere. And one was trapped under a bunch and desperately trying to open. "For cryin' out loud! Open!" "Push harder!" "I am!" "Clearly, you're not!" "Ugh, just help push!"

It started to shake around roughly until it managed to knock the bags, but this also resulted in it rolling down a mountain of bags. It ran into the metal wall and immediately clicked open. The first to pop out was Diego, gasping for air. "After all my brilliant thinking, why did I overlook air holes?!" He face-palmed and let his paw slide down his face. "Let's go find the bags."

Chase climbed out, gasping as well. "Can we just rest for a moment?"

"You rest, I'm going to look for the rest of our stuff." He climbed out, stretched, and walked around the cargo hold in search for their other bags. Chase fell out of the suitcase and started to nap on a conveniently placed mattress.

Diego spent a solid twenty minutes digging through luggage to find their bags. He moved away a bag and found both of their suitcases. He smiled, glad that they were together and that he didn't have to look around anymore. He pulled them out and dragged them over to where Chase was sleeping.

He set them down and sat down to take a breather. This caused Chase to stir awake. "Diego…" He said as he got up and rubbed his eyes. "What are we going to do once the plane lands? Even with the money we have, I doubt we're going to survive off it forever." Diego didn't make a response, but Chase knew he was listening. "How are we going to survive on our own?"

Diego kept looking at the metal wall, staring at it intently. He ran multiple scenarios through his head on how they will survive. They all work as far as he knew, but they each came with a horrible price. He didn't think Chase will be onboard with this, but he knew that it was the only way.

"Chase…I'll be honest with you. I don't have a decent plan to work with. They work, but not in a good way. You know we will have to resort to scavenging for awhile, just until I can get us somewhere to live." Diego laid down with arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. "I don't like the idea of stealing or anything, but if we have to survive…" He didn't finish when he saw the emotionless look on Chase's face.

He turned away from his friend and said, "I…understand."

Diego stared at him for a moment, then closed his eyes. "I'll figure something out…I promise you, everything will be work out in the end. We'll live a fantastic life and…we will be able to do whatever we want." He yawned. "Get some shut eye. This plane will land in about 12 hours." He turned on his side and fell asleep.

Chase laid down and closed his eyes. He did like the idea of living free without an abusive dad. But, will it actually come true? And what exactly will they do to get money and a house? All he did know…was that he should trust Diego. Diego was like an older brother to him and always listened to his judgment. He knew what he was doing. With a small smile, Chase fell asleep with happy thoughts about what kind of life awaited them in the future.


	2. Neo City Antics

10 years later…

Hundreds of Pokémon all gather in an open area. They were shopping from the local stands. They either sold fruit, materials for equipment, or random stuff. They happily enjoyed the sunny day that radiated down from the sky. Sadly, that was going to end in a few seconds.

A Hitmonchan walked up to a vegetable stand ran by a Beartic. "Hey Steve, what you got in stock for today?"

"Oh, I got these fresh cabbages just today." Steve showed off three fresh looking cabbages to him.

"Wow, those look good. How much?" He asked as he pulled out his wallet.

"Three will cost about 15 poke."

"Okay, here." He offered out the money, but recoiled back when a red and blue blur flew right by them and swiped the cabbages. Left on the stand was 15 poke spinning around from the speed of how they were dropped. The two Pokémon watched them spin in surprise until they finally fell over. "Um…what was that?"

Steve growled. "I know what it was." He leaned over his stand and shouted at the direction of the blur. "Diego Sliverfang, get back here with those cabbage!"

Riding down the pathway on a skateboard was a fifteen year old Charmeleon. He wore a pale blue hoodie and dark blue jeans. The bottom of his skateboard had a unique design. It had a black background with green flames taking up most of it. The center of it was the ace of spades, the spade being made of dark red fire. Currently on his back was a backpack with some fruits and vegetables, including the cabbage.

He stopped his skateboard and smirked at Steve's direction. He shouted, "I don't see why you're acting so snappish? I left the right amount of money."

"I told you a thousand times not to skateboard off my stand." The Beartic shouted angrily.

Diego rolled his eyes. "I'll try to remember that better next time." He said sarcastically. He was about to ride off, but a Meganium stopped him in his tracks. He looked down on him angrily. "Constable Maxwell, how are you doing today?" Diego said in a devious friendly way.

The Constable sighed. "Mr. Sliverfang, this is your…um, another one of your multiple offenses. I demand that you stop immediately!"

"What exactly are you gonna do, throw me in jail for picking up groceries?" Diego laughed in amusement.

"I'm being serious!" He shouted. "I'm getting multiple complaints about you and your friend's insane stunts. I may not have the proper authority to arrest you for it, but this has got to stop."

"Look, Chase and I have a competition tomorrow and we need to eat. I would appreciate it if we can just drop this little lecture and allow me to go home."

Maxwell looked around the area. "Where is that Pikachu anyway?"

"Picking up some meat." On cue, multiple angry voices can be heard yelling at something on the opposite side of the stands. "Oh, there he is." Using the small distraction to his advantage, he kicked off the ground and rode past Maxwell.

He turned around and shouted, "Get back here now!"

Diego droned out the shouts and pulled out his walkie-talkie. "Yo Chase, how's the shopping going?"

On the opposite side of where Diego was, a thirteen year old Pikachu was riding down on the stands, collecting the food he needed. All he was wearing was a black vest that was unzipped. The bottom of his skateboard was two lightning bolts clashing into each other diagonally with a gray tornado behind it. This wasn't the same Chase from ten years ago, however. Instead of being overly worried, he was more energetic and carefree about everything around him.

He took out his walkie-talkie and replied, "Going great, I got some meat and bread. I also took a quick detour to get some milk and eggs."

"Sweet as usual. Well, I got Maxwell tagging me again." He looked right behind him and saw the Constable chasing after him. "Ready to help ditch him?"

Chase smiled deviously. "You don't even have to ask me twice." He puts the walkie-talkie away and pulls a coiled rope out of his vest.

They both reached the end of the stands and met up with each other. Chase tossed one end of the rope to Diego. They slowed down a bit to let Maxwell catch up. Then, once he was close, they stopped immediately. Maxwell didn't have enough time to stop and ran into the rope. He tripped over it and rolled down the small incline they were on. "You stuuuuuuuuupid kiiiiiiiiiiiids!" He yelled as he rolled away from sight.

Chase had his ear out as the man yelled. "Aww, he does care." He said happily.

Diego chuckled and looked at the products he got. He scrunched up and pulled something out. "I think I wasn't looking where I was going."

"What do you mean?"

He held up a baby bottle with baby formula in it. "I snatched this by mistake." He shrugged and tossed it away. "Anyway, should we start heading home?"

Chase looked over his groceries and smiled. "Yep, we can go." They both nodded to each other and rode down the path, taking an alternate route so they didn't have to deal with the hot-headed Constable.

XXX

Diego and Chase laughed as they walked down the sidewalk. Their skateboards were strapped to their backs along with the groceries. They were both joking around and talking about the day they had.

"…then, the gasoline tank exploded underwater. Then when the fire department came, the choir started to sing that repetitive melody again. And, oh this is the best part, the skeleton was missing and no one could find anything of it except a torn piece of its poncho." Diego finished his unusual story and they started to laugh out. He wiped a tear away. "And that's what happened when I visited the museum. True story."

Chase managed to regain control of his breathing. "What did happen to the museum's skeleton anyway?"

Diego shrugged. "Heck if I know. I was too busy admiring some stuff in the astro wing."

Chase rolled his eyes. "You and your obsession with astronomy."

"It's not an obsession, it's a fascination!" He argued. "Don't you realize that there are probably different worlds or dimensions out there that may have different species of creatures other than Pokémon?"

Chase shrugged. "Maybe, but what would you find? An entire planet full of those mythical creatures called humans being the dominant species?"

Diego rolled his eyes. "Okay, that does sound a bit ridiculous." They stared at each other and chuckled for no apparent reason. "We should probably keep heading home." He pulled out his touch screen phone and checked the time. He frowned. "Great, it's nearing dark. We'll have to take a short cut."

"Um, Diego? I hate to be the one to point this out, but the quickest route to our neighborhood is…that way." Diego followed where he was pointing and spotted a dark alleyway. His brain clicked and he face-palmed. "Yep, it's the quickest way."

Diego sighed and said, "I know they keep telling us not to trespass and all, but we need to get home and eat, then get ready for tomorrow."

Chase looked unsure for a moment, but shrugged it off. "Guess you're right. Besides, we can handle ourselves."

Diego patted his back. "That's the spirit! Let's start walking." They entered the dark alleyway, preparing themselves to deal with the residents of this alley.

They looked around, surprised that they haven't seen anything or anyone yet. This place was usually full with the 'hoodlums'. They walked back-to-back for safety precautions. They took defensive stances as they walked through. There was a reason that they wouldn't normally come down here. Some people who hang out here are very territorial when it came to trespassers.

They began to enter a larger area within the alleyway. There wasn't much light coming through, so it was pretty dim. They saw rundown couches, a bunch of trash, a throne of sorts, and an old television set with a rusty satellite dish attached to it.

Chase had a confused look. "Strange, normally by now, we would have been spotted by them."

"They could just be terrorizing pedestrians again." His friend suggested. "Still, it isn't a good idea to hang out here for too long."

Suddenly, they were blinded by multiple lights and heard engines roaring like crazy. They soon realize that they're being circled by the mysterious beings. The duo hold their ground as they waited for someone to strike. The objects stop circling them and shut off their lights.

The duo rub their eyes and saw that they were surrounded by eight motorcyclists. They consisted of a Primeape, Ledian, Granbull, Breloom, Vigoroth, Gabite, Toxicroak, and Simisage. They each wore a black leather jacket with an unusual red 'Y' on the back of it and ripped jeans. They glared fiercely at the wandering trespassers, who merely stared in annoyance.

Diego exhaled and smirked. "Well, if it isn't the Yveltal Bike Gang. Haven't seen you lugs in awhile. How's life workin' for ya?"

"Can the small talk, twerp!" Granbull demanded. "You have no rights trespassing onto our turf."

He innocently shrugged. "We just needed a faster way home, that's all. Are you really going to get your knickers in a twist over that?"

"You half-brained idiots aren't going to be saying that when you have your vocal cords ripped out of you!" Vigoroth said with a sadistic smile.

Chase rolled his eyes. "Please, I bet you wouldn't know where our vocal cords are. From what I heard, you were kicked out of school after failing that IQ test with a score of negative 12. How is that even possible?"

Vigoroth growled. "First off, I wasn't kicked out, I was thrown out. Second, they said my score will always be remembered to show kids a good example about learning." He said proudly.

"Yeah, 'Don't rot your brain or you'll make a pile of dirt seem like a prodigy'." Diego whispered to Chase, who chuckled in response. "That reminds me," He said to the gang, "there seems to be two of you missing."

"You mean us." Slowly walking out of the shadows were two figures. A Marowak and a Bisharp. They both were wearing the same attire, except the shoulders of the jackets at spikes protruding from them. They glared at the duo evilly.

Diego smirked. "Well, if it isn't the big bad leader, Reggie." He mocked towards the Bisharp.

'Reggie' face-faltered at the sound of the name and became agitated. "MY NAME ISN'T REGGIE, IT'S REGINALD! GET IT RIGHT, YOU IDIOT!" He composed himself and returned to his calm demeanor. "Marcus, would you mind explaining to these ingrates what happens when they break my rules?" He asked the Marowak.

Marcus nodded and walked forward, giving off an uncomfortable feeling towards the duo. "Rule 1: when you trespass onto our turf or rub us the wrong way, you're gonna have to have something to appease our anger. Rule 2: don't comply to rule 1, and you'll get the beating of the lifetime. And, considering there are ten of us and only two of you, you don't have much of an option." He brought out his bone club and spun it in his paw.

Chase glared at him, annoyed by his harsh behavior. "If you think that's going to intimidate us, you're even more pathetic than I thought."

Unlike Reginald, Marcus simply ignored the comment and pointed his club the way the duo came in. "I suggest that you leave at once, after you hand over the goods." He said, referring to their groceries.

He stepped back a bit and replied, "If you want food so bad, I suggest you go buy some like normal people do."

Reginald chuckled mockingly. "Coming from a bunch of street rats like you, how ironic. Last I checked, you two are anything but normal people. You may comply with some of the law, but you always like to cause a ruckus everywhere you go. I'm surprised the mayor hasn't warranted your arrest already. But he can't do that to the best skaters in the city, the only ones who have the guts to compete in the Skateboarding Combat Blitz. He only puts up with you two so you can make this city famous. But, once you lose, it's off to jail for you." He laughed joyfully, as well as the rest of his crew. Marcus remained silent, but smirked at the amusement.

When Reginald composed himself, he wanted to see how they reacted. But was gob-smacked when he saw them playing a game of cards instead. "Ha, full house! In your face!" Chase yelled excitedly.

Diego stared at him oddly. "We're playing Go Fish." He looked at the shocked gang. "Oh sorry, what were you saying about caramel again?" He asked, randomly.

Reginald's shock turned to sheer anger in the blink of an eye. "You no good twits!"

Diego packed up the cards and stuffed them in his hoodie pocket. "Look Raymond, just let us leave and we won't have to cause any trouble around here."

"First off, I'm not letting you two off the hook. And second, MY NAME IS REGINALD!" He screamed loudly.

Chase sighed in annoyance. "Look, it's been a long day for us and we're tired. Can't we just overlook this one little transgression and allow us to pass through to get back to our home?" Reginald sneered at the Pikachu, giving him his answer. "Apparently, no."

Diego patted his back and looked at the two gang leaders. "Guys, let's all stay calm and compromise. You let us leave and you get nothing in return, sounds fair to me." He finished quickly before taking his skateboard off his back. His paw was suddenly whacked by the bone club. "Oww, what the heck?!"

Marcus pointed his club at him. "You two are staying here. Last time you came down this way, our bikes were trashed. Now we're going to return the favor." Everyone, minus the duo, cracked their knuckles in response.

"Oh, that's okay. You guys don't have to do favors for us, the mere amusement of you guys thinking you can take us on is enough of a payment." Diego mocked.

Reginald had enough and snapped his fingers. "Sage, dispose of them." He ordered the Simisage.

He nodded and jumped into the air. "Seed Bomb!" A green light forms in his paws, then turns in a large seed. He throws it directly at the duo.

They saw the incoming Seed Bomb in shock for a moment. Then Diego gives a smirk. "Chase, you know what to do."

The Pikachu got in front of his friend and held his arms out. "Protect!" They were soon surrounded by a blue-green barrier. Once the seed made contact, it exploded, but resulted in no damage.

Reginald growled. "Once that barrier goes down, attack all at once." They nodded in agreement.

What they didn't predict was what happened after the Protect disappeared. "Smokescreen!" Diego shot out a thick stream of black smoke, covering the entire area. The gang started to choke and cough on it.

"Where are they?!" Reginald yelled as he coughed on the smoke. Suddenly, the Breloom was hit in the back of the head by something hard, knocking him unconscious. "Breloom?!"

Toxicroak looked around the smoke, being use to toxins or smoke. "Boss, I can't see anything or anyone. And their picking us off one by one!" His point was proven when Primeape suddenly sank under the smoke, followed up by the sounds of electricity. "We need to retreat."

"They're just two street rats, how much trouble can they be?" Vigoroth commented. A trash can fell on top of him, yet he didn't move a single muscle from the impact. "Now that I'm thinking about it, these two are tough." He then fell unconscious.

Reginald kept looking around for his foes. "Where are you?!" He yelled angrily.

"Flame Charge!" Out of nowhere, he was hit in the back by a fiery tackle. As he got up when he heard Diego laugh. "You clearly lack proper fighting techniques."

"Iron Tail!" Suddenly, a steel hard tail nailed the Bisharp in the head. "He is also unfocused when he gets angry, which is a lot." Chase laughed as well.

Reginald growled and fired off Focus Blast in random parts of the smoke. He perked up when he heard two screams of agony from inside. "Ha, I got them!" He pumped his fist in the air in excitement.

"Yeah, you got _them_, but not your intended targets." He yelped when he heard Diego's voice coming from nowhere.

Just before he could argue back, Marcus popped out of the smoke. "Boss, those street rats knocked out Granbull and Gabite with what looked like some powerful attack. It kind of looked like a Fo…cus…" Once he saw the embarrassed expression on the Bisharp's face, he deadpanned. "It was you, wasn't it?"

"Uuummm…" was all he could say. He snapped out of it when Ledian slammed into a wall and fell unconscious. "Forget it. Toxicroak, get over here, now!" Toxicroak suddenly jumped out of the smoke and landed near them. "Alright you two, stand your ground! Don't let them get to you." They nodded and awaited an attack.

Minutes have passed and, during the time, the smoke was letting up. Once it finally subsided, they saw their unconscious gang…and no Diego or Chase.

Reginald stared blankly for a moment, then screamed in pure rage and punched the wall, leaving a deep hole. "Why, Why, WHHHHYYY?! Every single time, they managed to trick us and escape."

Marcus shrugged. "Look on the bright side, at least three of us are still standing." Toxicroak fell unconscious from an unknown pain. "Alright, two of us."

Reginald pulled his hand out of the hole and rubbed it. "Who cares?! We won't get anywhere with carrying out our plans if those two are always in our way."

"I know this is difficult to stand, but we will eventually have the advantage over them."

"HOW?! We can't get the supplies we need if those two our always going to ruin our preparations and steal all of our profits." He sat down on the ground and sighed in frustration. "How can I take over this city when I end up always getting beaten by a smart-aleck Charmeleon and a feisty Pikachu?"

Marcus didn't have an answer, so he replied, "I hate to say it boss, but those two are impossible to takedown. They are always three steps ahead of everything and never let their guard down. And, with all of the money they stole from us, it will take awhile to get it all back to pay for our weapons, assuming we can avoid them."

"Well, I don't care! If I want to start by international takeover, I need to find some way to get those two off my back. And nothing is going to stop me." He got up and stretched. "I'm going to get our food. Stay here and wait for the gang to regain consciousness." As he left, Marcus noticed a 'Kick me' sign taped to his boss' back.

"Um, boss…?" He said hesitantly. Reginald looked back with an annoyed look. Feeling that he would probably explode with all the rage building up in him, Marcus thought against it. "Actually, nevermind." Confused and slightly annoyed, Reginald left the alleyway.

XXX

Diego and Chase laughed their heads off when they exited the alleyway. "Oh man, I can't believe he didn't notice me stick that on him when we ran away." Chase said, catching his breath.

Diego calmed down, but snickered a bit. "You are quite the natural in speed and stealth, which is why you're the physical asset of our team."

Chase nodded. "Speaking of which, we should probably start heading home." As they walked, Chase began to feel hungry. "Ugh, I'm starving! What are you making for dinner tonight?"

Since the two live together, they had to split up chores and stuff evenly with each other. Chase does the outside work while Diego handles things on the inside. He is also pretty good at cooking when he feels like making something. Anyway, he shrugged at the question. "Meh, haven't decided. I'll figure something out when we relax for a bit."

"I'm kind of feeling nervous about tomorrow, though." Chase said as he felt his heart rate increase.

"Chill dude, it's not like this is the first skateboard competition you've entered."

"Yeah…but winning this one will get us into the semifinals. Once we get pass that, it's off to the finals. The mayor said that if we win that, he'll drop the charges on us for good." He looked down sadly. "Still, that won't change the way everyone looks at us when we pass through."

Diego frowned and patted his back. "I know almost everyone in this city hates us, but we're only trying to survive. And we're going to have to put up with it once school starts back up next week."

"Still…"

"Chase, I'm telling you everything will be fine. Things will work out in the end. We have a nice house, food to eat, and we're living on our own. This is what you wanted, right? Freedom?"

Chase looked up at him slightly. He sighed and gave a weak smile. "I guess."

Diego punched his arm playfully. "You can do better than that!"

The Pikachu laughed and smiled wider. "You really are a good friend, Diego."

"Which reminds me of something…" He casually took his board off his back and set it on the ground. He then turned around and pushed his friend to the ground before taking off on his board yelling, "Last one home is a rotten egg!"

"Hey, that's cheating!" Chase yelled while laughing. He got out his board and raced after his cackling friend. "You're going to pay for that!" He threatened mockingly.

Diego rolled his eyes and sped off faster, leading Chase to do the same. They continuously tried to take the lead from each other, all while having fun at the same time.


	3. At Home

After leaving the major part of the city, the duo rode down the sidewalk of a nice looking suburban neighborhood. The houses were all one story tall. Residents were happily mowing their lawns, watering their garden, or playing outside. However, they momentarily stop when they saw the duo ride past them. They would either get angry glares or frightened looks. Some parents even brought their kids back inside for protection.

Diego rolled his eyes. "They act as if we're murderers or something." He puts his paws in his pockets. "These people need to seriously chill out."

Chase shrugged. "Can't say I blame them, we do mess up their lawns every so often by mistake."

"Yeah, yeah." He responded in a bored tone. He perked up when he saw their house up ahead. It was one story like the rest, had a yellow base and a black roof. "Good, we're home."

Chase smiled. "Great, let's get dinner started." They kick their boards up and walk to the house as they carried them. But once they got there, Chase noticed something. "Hey, look."

Diego turned towards the house next to theirs. A Smeargle was at his mailbox and sorted through his mail. He had a gray, wispy beard and a twisted, wooden cane. He wore a grumpy expression on his face as he looked at his mail, mumbling to himself.

Diego gave a friendly smile and waved. "Hey Samuel, how you doing today?"

The Smeargle flinched irritably before looking at his neighbors. Having gone through this scenario multiple times, he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Kid, how many times do I have to tell you? If I was even in the mood to talk to you, I would appreciate it if you called me Mr. Morrison."

"Sorry…" Diego mumbled under his breath.

Chase smiled at the old man. "So, Mr. Morrison, what are you doing on this brilliant day?"

"Sorting through my mail, while frowning upon my life." Samuel has lived next door with Diego and Chase for a good 5 years, ever since they moved in. How they afforded the house, he'll never know. He's pretty much the only one in the neighbor that talks to them, albeit out of annoyance, scolding, and irritation. Everything those kids do make him irritated. Sure, he's annoyed by everything, but those two hold a record.

Diego laughed. "Same old Mr. Morrison. Anyway, when is our next job?" They may get on his nerves, but Samuel needs help with the outside work and they are more than willing to help. But he knows they only do it to make a quick buck off of him.

He replied, "You can help mow my lawn next week if that isn't too much of a problem for you delinquents." They both shook their heads. "Good, also another thing. Keep that wretched, modern-aged, hip-hop, teen music of yours down at night! It's driving me crazy!"

Diego and Chase looked at each other for a moment before nodding their heads, thinking the same thing. Diego said with a smirk, "Alright, we'll oblige to your request…if you raise our payment by a mere five dollars. We both tend to become forgetful about stuff like this without something to remind us."

"Are you blackmailing me?" Samuel asked in annoyance. The duo nodded in response. The old Smeargle pinched the bridge of his nose in complete irritation before sighing. "Ugh, fine, whatever! Just keep it down tonight!" With that, he walked back to his house and slammed the door shut.

Chase felt a ping of guilt wash over him. "Maybe we went too far with that."

Diego shrugged. "Maybe. But hey, he'll get over it in a few days. Come on, let's head inside." Chase nodded and they walked up to their front door. Diego pulled out his keys and unlocked the door before entering.

He headed straight to the kitchen while Chase observed his surroundings. One side of the area a normal looking kitchen, complete with wooden floor, oven, microwave, sink, and more. On the other side of the area was the living room. It was carpeted and had forest green walls. There was a white armchair and a large white couch that had an angle to it and could fit around five to six people. There was a flat screen T.V. on top of a chest. The room also had pictures of the duo, either separate or together.

Chase sighed happily and rested on the armchair. "Good to be home."

Diego was putting away the groceries and turned to look at his friend. He smiled for a moment, but frowned when he noticed something. He continued to put everything away. Once he was done, he shuts the fridge and says, "Someone broke into our house." He said, surprising the Pikachu.

He shot off the armchair and began to panic. "What?! Well, who?! Why?! What did they take?!" He looked around the room to see anything out of place. But everything looked fairly normal, confusing him. "Um, what exactly was stolen?"

"Nothing." Diego said nonchalantly as he walked into the living room.

Chase was getting even more confused. "Then how do you know someone broke in?"

Diego pointed towards the couch, but more specifically, the remote. "That was on the armchair when we left this morning, not the couch. Also, as I was in the kitchen, I noticed that the cookie jar was open and missing most of the cookies. Finally, there is a stack of cereal boxes next to the fridge that seemed to be used as makeshift stairs."

Chase shrugged. "That's what made you think someone broke in?"

"Well, that and this note on the fridge." He handed the piece of paper to the Pikachu. He took a look at the message. Whoever wrote it obviously couldn't spell and had bad handwriting. While he couldn't read it, he knew whose handwriting this was.

"Let me guess…" Chase said with narrowed eyes.

Diego nodded to confirm his answer. "Yep…"

They both sighed and shouted, "Derek?!" They waited for someone to respond to them. Suddenly, they heard giggling coming from the top of the fridge. They walk towards the kitchen and look up at the fridge.

Chase prepared to lightly scold the figure at the top. "Derek, come down from there before you get yourself hurt."

As he finished, a head poked up from the top. It was a little Chespin and he was wearing a dark grey tam o'shanter cap (Scottish hat) with a red pompom on the top. He seemed really happy to see them. "YAY, you found me!"

Diego rolled his eyes before climbing up to get the little Chespin down. "You know it's really dangerous to be climbing that high off the ground." He said as set him down on the floor.

Despite the scolding, Derek kept smiling wide. "I know, but I wanted to play with you guys. So I ran here and used a key under a mat to get in. I made sure to lock when I came." _So, that's how he got inside. _Diego thought, shaking his head in amusement at the child's antics.

Chase couldn't help but chuckle. "Derek, that's sweet and all, but you shouldn't be running off from the shelter like that without Ms. Johnson not knowing about it." Remember when they said almost everyone hates these two? Well, aside from a few friends, they would occasionally go to a shelter that takes care of children that have either been abused or ran away. From what the lady who runs it told them, Derek was found on her doorstep as a baby and has grown into the sweet five year old in front of them. They would visit once a week to play around with Derek. It was pretty much the only thing they did that didn't get on peoples nerves. However, there have been times where Derek would sneak out and visit them unexpectedly, usually when they were home.

"I know, but you guys rock!" He exclaimed as he jumped up and down. His hat fell over his eyes in the process. "Oh no, I'm blind!" He screamed as he waved his arms around frantically.

Diego smiled at his adorable behavior and lifted his hat back up. "Look, you can see again." Derek cheered with happiness. He started to run around in the living room. "Man, that kid has a lot of energy."

"I know, isn't it cute?" Chase said as they watched the Chespin spin around and fall on the ground, giggling with glee. "There hasn't been one day I've seen that kid sad or gloomy."

Derek ran up to them, grinning sweetly. "Can I have a sleepover with you guys? Please?" He asked with big old puppy dog eyes.

Diego and Chase had very unsure looks. "I don't know, kiddo." Diego said. "It would have to be up to Ms. Johnson if you can or not. She's probably wondering where you are right now."

"Plus, we're kind of busy tomorrow." Chase added.

"Please? Please?! Plllllleeeeeaaaasssssee?!" He kept repeating himself as his adorable eyes started to grow bigger and bigger somehow. Diego and Chase looked at each other, as if having a silent discussion on the request. After some crucial thinking, they sighed.

XXX

Derek sat on the couch with Chase as they watched some cartoons. Derek laughed gleefully at the funny comedy that was presented. Chase even laughed a couple of times at the humorous show.

As they were watching television, Diego was in the kitchen and on the phone with Ms. Johnson. "So, as I've explained, Derek would like to stay over here for the night. Now, before you say anything else, I would like to point out that we had no idea he came to our house while we were out."

On the other side of the connection was a Togekiss, who was tending to the playful children while on the phone. "Oh, don't worry about that, dearie. I actually had a feeling he was at your house when I couldn't find him. And I'm sure that you will take good care of him for the night."

Diego smiled. "That's great." He then frowned when he remembered something. "The only problem is that Chase and I are competing in the Skateboarding Combat Blitz tomorrow. We won't have time to drop him off or be able to keep an eye on him."

"I'm sure you can ask your friends to watch him; you did say that they will be there to watch you." Ms. Johnson reminded as she handed out sippy cups to the kids.

"Good point."

"Besides, Derek has been wanting to see you two compete in person rather on television. He really looks up to you two."

"He…looks up to us?" Diego said, surprised.

Ms. Johnson smiled. "Oh yes, he just loves being around you two. He considers you like family. He even told me that the people he wants to adopt him are you two."

The Charmeleon was left stunned after hearing that. He quickly shakes it off and, while covering up his nervous voice, says, "That's…good to hear." He said with a hint of depression in his voice, which Ms. Johnson didn't notice. "Listen, I need to go now. We'll bring Derek back tomorrow around in the afternoon."

"Okay. Good bye, Diego. And tell Chase I said hi."

"Okay, good bye." With that, he hung up the phone and sighed.

He walked over to the living room, gaining the attention of Chase and Derek. "So, what did she say?" Chase asked.

Diego sighed once again and smiled. "Well, not only can he stay over, but we're also taking him to the Skateboarding Combat Blitz tomorrow."

The news made the Chespin jump up in excitement. "YAY, I'M SO HAPPY!" He screamed at the top of his lungs.

Chase grabbed his shoulders and sat him back down. "Try to stay quieter; our neighbor is in one of his moods."

"Got it, I'll be quiet." He pretended to zip his mouth shut and gave them a wide smile.

Chase nodded and turned back to his friend. "So, what's for dinner?"

Diego rubbed his chin in thought. The original meal he was going to make probably won't be appetizing for Derek since he can be a picky eater. But there is one thing the child can't refuse. "How about I order a pizza for all of us?"

Chase gave a thumbs up at the idea. "Sounds good to me." Derek squealed with joy, but couldn't speak since his mouth was still 'zipped'. "And I think he agrees as well." Diego nodded and proceeded to dial the number.

About a half hour later, the three were eating pizza on the couch and watching some of the cartoons Derek liked. He and Chase were laughing at the humor, but Diego kept quiet for most of the time. He was still thinking about what Ms. Johnson said, about how Derek looked up to them and thought of them as family. They were sort of his role models. But the mere thought of it made Diego growl in discomfort, but made sure not to attract the other two's attention. He moved the thoughts past him and tried to enjoy the show.

A few hours later, Diego was seen putting away the plates they used into the dishwasher, along with anything else that needed to be cleaned, and shut the door before turning it on. He nodded in satisfaction and went to throw the empty pizza box away.

Chase walked up into the kitchen. "Hey dude, what'cha up to?"

"Just a few things." He said as he tossed the box away.

"Okay, that's nice." Chase twiddled his thumbs for a moment before sighing. "Hey, are you feeling alright?"

Diego was a bit surprised by the question, but waved it off like it was nothing. "Of course I'm fine. What would give you that preposterous idea?"

"Well, you seemed a little down after you got off the phone with Ms. Johnson, you barely spoke when we were watching T.V., and I think I heard you growl a bit. Something is definitely bugging you."

Diego would have tried to find some way to divert Chase away from him, but he knew all of his tricks. Plus, Chase wasn't one to give up on trying to figure out if something was wrong with a friend. Besides, Diego couldn't lie to him. His problem does concern him as well.

After taking in a few deep breaths, Diego spoke. "When I was on the phone with Ms. Johnson, she mentioned a few things about Derek." This made Chase confused. "She said that he looked up to us, thought of us as role models. He wants to be just like us when he is older."

Not understanding Diego's perspective of the problem, Chase smiled happily. "Aww, that is so sweet of him."

"No, it's bad!" He shouted, surprising Chase. Diego calmed down and continued. "I don't want Derek to be anything like us. The kid had a bright future ahead of him. I don't want him ending up being some delinquent on the streets being chased by the cops."

Chase shook his head in disagreement. "Diego, I think you're overthinking this. Derek would never turned to a life of crime, he's too sweet and innocent to do something that horrible."

"We were sweet and innocent once, take a look where we are now!" He gestured the entire house. "We ran away from home and started this new life. And remember what we did to get like this."

Chase gulped, having had a brief, uncomfortable flashback of that day. "I…remember. But, I still think Derek will have a great life."

Diego crossed his arms. "I know, I just hope he doesn't ended doing the things we did when we were around his age."

"Like how we illegally snuck out of Johto and came here to Silvac just because our lives were miserable?"

Diego glared at him before dropping it. "There's something else bugging me. Derek also wants us to adopt him. In any other situation, I would gladly take him in. But you know as well as I do that we can't."

Chase looked at him sympathetically. "You're still paranoid that someone will find out about what happened five years ago, aren't you?" Diego nodded. "Dude, relax. You covered up every possible lead on us and I destroyed any and all evidence that it was us. You got nothing to worry about."

Diego leaned against the counter and looked at the Chespin, who was still watching T.V. and started to show signs of fatigue. Yet, he still had that sweet grin plastered onto his face. That's what Diego liked about Derek, he was oblivious to anything that seemed bad or harsh. Diego remembered how the little guy scraped up his knee when he fell off the swings. Despite being in pain and whimpering, Derek didn't shed one tear. Diego smiled to himself, knowing that he will grow up with a good life.

He felt a paw clasp his shoulder caringly. "I know you want to have the perfect life. You don't want anything to ruin that for you."

Diego nodded. "Yeah, but I keep getting this feeling. Is this really the perfect life or is there something missing that we don't know about?"

Chase shrugged after he took his paw off his shoulder. "I'm sure it will come to you eventually. After all, you are the smartest guy I know. You're an excellent strategist, a complex thinker, a problem solver, and a great friend." This made the Charmeleon smile warmly at his friend.

Just then, they heard a soft yawn come from the living room. They walked in and saw Derek was rubbing his eyes, sleepily. "I'm tired." He mumbled as he fell on his back, causing the duo to chuckle softly.

Chase realized something. "That's right, we don't have a place for him to sleep tonight. We don't have a guest room since we…don't normally invite people over."

Diego thought it over. "Well, no offense to Derek, but I don't want him to accidentally ruin any of my work. Your room seems pretty safe for someone his age."

Chase shrugged. "Okay, he can sleep in my room. I really don't mine."

Diego nodded and picked up the tired child. They walked over to Chase's room. When he opened it, Diego got a good look at the Pikachu's room. The walls were a neat shade of blue. He had a desk, T.V. with video game systems, a few books lying around, skateboard parts and tools, and in the corner was a guitar. His closet had the same exact black vests he wore, along with a few other clothes depending on weather. His bed had red sheets and a blue blanket.

Diego brought the Chespin over to the bed. Chase pulled the covers back to get Derek in. Once he was, he pulled the blanket over him and tucked him in. Derek yawned an adorable yawn, then began to fall asleep. Before he was fully out, he whispered, "Nighty night."

The duo smiled and Chase rubbed his little head. "Night, buddy." They proceeded to walk out and silently shut the door.

Diego looked at Chase. "Hang on, where are you going to sleep?"

Chase put his paws behind his head. "I don't mine sleeping on the couch for the night. Just need a blanket and pillow."

Diego gestured him to follow. "I have a few spares in my room." His room was right across from Chase's.

When he opened up, he went to his closet to look for the blanket and pillow. Diego's room was a lot different from Chase's. The walls were dark red and the ceiling was black with little white dots on it. His desk was littered with papers in an organized sort of way. There was a telescope pointing out the window, a map of sorts with pictures of constellations on it, an electric keyboard, and a small white board with a bunch of equations and pictures on it. His bed sheets were black and the blanket was a dark green. Diego's closet was similar to Chase's, containing the clothes he normally wears.

Diego found what he was looking for and handed them over to Chase. "Here you go. Make sure you get some sleep, we have a competition tomorrow and we need to review the battle plan."

His friend saluted. "Got it, Captain!" He exited the room after saying, "Good night, Diego."

"Night, Chase." Diego closed his door and yawned. He changed into his sleep attire, which was a plain white t-shirt and black pants with crescent moons on it. Once he turned off his lights, the dots on his ceiling began to glow lightly, simulating a starry night sky. He climbed into bed and got comfortable, but didn't go to bed immediately.

_I'm still curious though. What is this feeling that I seem to be missing? Do I really need it? Well, whatever it is, I'll figure it out eventually. Right now, more important things need to be attend to. Like getting ready for tomorrow._ Wrapping up his thoughts, Diego began to drift off to sleep.


End file.
